I thought we'd cured it.
We've talked about it; agreed that we wouldn't go there again. We had the habit licked and we'd never, EVER go back to the way it was....but its happened again. GAS(sigh).

For the uninitiated, we're talking about Gear Aquisition Syndrome. the number one cause of poverty in musicians. The excitement of new band members means everyone is reassessing their kit to make sure they've got the right stuff. You know; 3 or 4 foldback speakers, a new 16 band mixer, a special mic-kit for the drums, oh what the heck - let's get new mics all round, and I'm pretty bored with this rickenbacker 330. I think I'd play much better with a 360....and on and on and on.

Today's star-buy was a Sony Minidisc to record rehearsals and early gigs to make sure the sound is right and tight. The price was good - almost embarassingly good - and I was feeling almost guilty. Some poor bugger was clearly being forced to sell his very expensive toy for peanuts, and we were part of his downfall.

Lee headed off to part with the readies and found himself on on the seriously expensive side of town. He knocked on the door of a sprawling urban castle which turns out to be the digs of three university students with WAY too much money. The whole house was full of ear-candy - 12 string guitars, electrics of all kinds, stereo gear, computer gear, electronic music contraptions of all shapes, colours and sizes...and his feelings of guilt sort of evaporated. These guys had a case of GAS that could get entire cities quarantined. Their only hope is if Dad gets busted in an accounting scandal and the guitar-pushers cut off their supply.

In the end Lee managed to screw a whole load of disc accessories out of the dude which weren't included in the E-Bay offering. Now we have a tiny little disc recorder which positively glows with mics, leads, powerpacks, remote controls, earpieces, bland discs, mini albums, and, and, and...

...and talking about guitar-pushers, those rich people are more than well supplied with instrument shops specialising in BRAND equipment of all kinds. There's an Amp Clinic next door to a Drum Clinic next door to a Guitar Warehouse (Warehouse? Huh? - in the same way that Neiman Marcus is I warehouse I quess) next door to a Piano and Organ Supplier, next door to a place which only sells bass guitars, and only bass guitars costing over 2 grand each, for crying out loud!

But amongst this cosy strip mall for millionaire wannabes is a little store which drew Lee in by its smell. I kid you not - Lee said it has a real "guitar-smell", as well as other GAS-junky turn-ons like nitro-lacquer, bees wax, sturdy craftsmanship and honest sweat. (I know, I know - but he's in the middle of a GAS attack, so you have to excuse him for hyper-guitar-vigilence.)

Anyway, behind a homey little front porch sporting a cast-iron security grill shaped like a guitar is the Alladin's cave of lutiers, masquerading under the humble name of the Guitar Repairers. THIS is where real magic happens. Guitars hang from the walls and the ceiling and the stairs and god knows from what else. The place has the kind of equipment to make a surgeon cry with envy, and all sorts of strange and exotic instruments in every stage of undress, leering wantonly from behind posts and under counters. The've got a balalaika slung casually from the ceiling - a sure sign that this is a seriously-serious lutier. A magician of music. A God of groove.

Lee and John Davis (the senior mage) hit it off in that way that fanatics do when they spot one of their own. Bon Mots were exchanged, followed by a swift round of Guitar-Cred jujitsu (it was a draw, apparently) then, as carefully and artistically as a Japanese tea ceremony, business cards were exchanged and dates set for "the showing of the implements."

These guys really know guitars. They know their darkest secrets, their deepest aches, what beats in the secret heart of a Mosrite SurfCaster and how to fix the cherry on an old Burns Bison.

So it looks like we're in for a period of eye-glazingly technical discussions about truss rods and "lowering the action" and all the outward signs of GAS infection. But at least the good Dr Davis will be there to hold my hand.

If you want to go off to see the wizard, here's his link. Guitar Repairer and Gear God, John Davis.